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While Europe’s top leagues generally dominate the headlines over the transfer window, the winter of 2015/16 made one surprising exception. The main topic of conversation now was not Spain, England or Germany though the Chinese Super League, which spent more money in the New Year than any other nation adding players like Alex Teixeira, Jackson Martinez and Ramires to its ranks for approximately €50m, €42m and €28m respectively. Cheap Fifa 17Coins

Those who believe this flurry of investment was only one coincidence or a flash inside the pan should think yet again. Football is growing rapidly in China PR because country pursues its ambition of competing using the sport’s best teams. With the support involving government policy, major international stars are assisting to entice fans into stadiums, while there is also an ever-greater focus on youth development. Crucially, professional teams may not have access to more than three foreigners for the pitch at once or even more than four such players on their books, and youth sides mustn't feature any promising young children from overseas.

Guangzhou Evergrande, who featured at the FIFA Club World Glass in 2013 and 2015, are a shining example in this approach. The club founded the particular world’s largest football academy several years ago and appointed German Marco Pezzaiuoli for you to oversee an organisation to comprehend than 2, 500 students and 170 mentors. The former Bundesliga along with youth national team coach continues to be responsible for the fate of each player from U-9 level towards the first team since Come july 1st 2014.

“It’s like a little castle, a little city that even has its own schools, ” Pezzaiuoli explained. “The youth players spend most time here before going home for their families at the weekends. Previously the country’s size managed to get all but impossible to implement the sort of packed schedules we typically recognise. Now small regional tournaments with twice the number of games are being tidied. "

"Competitive match practice may be the players’ bread and butter, ” said the 47-year-old when asked to describe his work on your 350, 000-square-metre site containing 47 football pitches of varied sizes. The Mannheim-born coach revealed that she frequently exchanges information using head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, who asks to become kept informed about teaching education, the content of workout sessions and key focus locations in both attack as well as defence.

The team from southeast China are keen to offer a good account regarding themselves as they prepare to travel to their first Blue Stars/FIFA Youngsters Cup, becoming only the second Chinese team to indulge in this prestigious competition after Beijing Guoan, who finished eighth just last year. “We want to be able to apply what we’ve learned at the higher level, ” Pezzaiuoli said. “I hope we’ll win a game and show people that we’re a Chinese team who can play football with pleasure and enthusiasm while while doing so providing a strong complex and tactical example with the modern game. We want people to acknowledge the good work we’re doing through China. "

“Young players have to find out, and they can only make it happen with overseas trips including the Youth Cup, ” he continued. “We have an chance to present ourselves to the earth there. Steadily increasing the time frame we’ve spent abroad within the last few year has taught us a good deal and given us a great deal of experience. We were at the foot your league table when I took in the team and now that same gang of players are champions, so we’ve come a long way. Every overseas trip we make is beneficial for Chinese football. ”

This help is however vital, as Pezzaiuoli believes the country remains to be 30 years behind Europe in relation to experience of the lovely game. “It starts as before long as nursery school, where there’s a lack of coordination and movement exercises with different balls, ” he explained. “Up to now kindergarten pupils are already taught to march rather, but that’s a different sort of movement. It takes time for you to introduce new structures.

"You can’t force that process; it’s simply a make a difference of development. I have no question that China will have a number of top players in Europe’s most significant league 30 years from now, and that’s a great target. We also want to experience international competitions regularly and win a few titles.

"Nevertheless, it’s also crucial in which China remain authentic. Instead of changing all facets of their game and copying German or Italian elite football, it’s important that they preserve their own culture while selectively including other influences. ”

Pezzaiuoli believes that any FIFA World Cup? would “certainly help for you to push football forward with China. The stadiums are witout a doubt full. People stream through the turnstiles to aid their club and nation's team. The next step for producing the game even more popular here would be a World Cup. ”

While the long-term objective would be to bring the world’s largest single-sport event for the Middle Kingdom, the short-term goal would be to secure a spot with the FIFA World Cup for your second time. With Team Dragon currently preparing for the third round connected with Russia 2018 qualifying, the future is searching bright. As Pezzaiuoli concluded: “We might be from the beginning of our journey though the view is fantastic. ”.